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Online Masters Degree

Cozystitches

Cozystitches

Brilliant_Rock
Premium
Joined
Mar 2, 2010
Messages
1,241
Hey All,

So, I'm looking at getting my masters degree in educational leadership (not for principal :errrr: but because I want to teach at the college level). Because of time (and cost) I'm looking at online Masters programs. Anyone know anything about Western Governor's University? Or do you have another online university that you may recommend?
 
So you would like to teach education classes at the college level?

If you're looking to apply for FT positions teaching college, I strongly recommend you look into campus-based master's programs rather than an online program.
 
It looks like a private online university. Is it for-profit? Non-profit? I can't tell from their website. Private online universities tend to be expensive for what they offer. And they are usually not well-regarded by hiring committees, so that may hurt you in the job search. A better option would be to look into hybrid programs that have both an online and on-campus component that are offered through your local accredited bricks and mortar public colleges/universities. I teach at the university level (a Big 10 school) and can tell you that education programs at R1 and R2 (Carnegie ratings) require a Ph.D., at least for tenured positions. Clinical/adjunct positions may accept a master's degree, but in my experience a Ph.D. is required or preferred for those positions as well. Without knowing more about your specialty area and what types of colleges/universities you'd be applying to for teaching positions, I can't be more specific.
 
Well it's not a for profit, so it's better than that, but for a degree like that, I would definitely do an in person class.
 
Thanks for replying Haven! :D

First goal is to continue teaching FT in middle school, and then teach a few classes (so I guess technically PT) at the college level. Then later on (like when DH is retired) switching to just college teaching.

Why do you suggest an on campus program rather online? I'm just curious and am still exploring my options. :D
 
I have heard good things about SNHU (Southern New Hampshire University) for onlines Masters degrees but can't say if they offer your program or not. I just know someof my teacher friends went there for theirs.
 
I have known a few people to do online Master programs (one is currently enrolled in an online Phd program). My friend who is a teacher had to get her masters by X number of years according to state mandates. She said she learned NOTHING and it was a joke. I think online courses can be great for some fields/subjects but cannot imagine 100% online for anything. I guess I feel like I learn so much from my peers and in a classroom environment. The online courses I have taken always felt cold and a bit boring.
 
Thank you to all who replied! Sigh, it sounds like the best thing is to wait till kids are older and go back to take classes (ugh). The biggest issue is that Mr. Cozy isn't as supportive of the whole teaching thing. He sees my frustration w/all the issues that comes w/teaching and sees the little pay. I think I will wait and see. As this is my 2nd year teaching, I have a bit of time to decide that I want to go and get more education.

Thank you again for your replies. :D I guess if I'm waiting that means more $$ for sparklies??? :Up_to_something: :naughty:
 
You must be a saint, Cozystitches! I've spent some time in middle school classrooms, they can be brutal! I don't even like visiting my mom at work anymore, those middle schoolers scare the heck out of me.

Anyway . . . I teach in a community college so my experience doesn't apply to universities. I've been on two search committees at the CC, and online degrees seem to be a negative. I don't think this applies to adjuncts as much, but it definitely applies to candidates for FT positions.

I'm totally promoting my own field here, but as an extremely happy former HS teacher turned CC instructor, I can't resist: Do you have any interest in becoming a reading specialist? Developmental English (and math, if that's your interest!) instructors are in high demand, and very few CC instructors have formal academic experience identifying, diagnosing, and treating reading difficulties. My own college is in its second year doing a search for another FT instructor with a specialty in reading and literacy. We didn't find anyone last year, so we hired a developmental writing specialist instead. The biggest problem is that most of the candidates who are reading specialists don't have any experience teaching at the college level.

I received my RS degree while teaching HS full-time. I started teaching reading at a CC before I even got my first HS job, and I loved it so much that I didn't stop when I got my FT HS position. By the time I realized that I preferred teaching CC over HS, I had six years of experience teaching college, and I was so lucky that a position opened up in a local CC my first year on the job market.

I only mention this because developmental education is a HUGE focus for CCs right now, so if this is something you might be interested in, now is the time to pursue it. (My MEd in reading and literacy took two school years and one summer. We met two nights a week from 4 to 8 PM during the school year, and four to five days a week from 8 AM to 5 PM during the summer. It was a LONG haul to do while teaching FT, but totally worth it.)

You could also study developmental education and get a degree or certificate in that. I'm currently finishing up a certificate as a Dev Ed Specialist.

Or if none of this interests you at all, ignore this post!
 
Haven|1357505208|3348972 said:
You must be a saint, Cozystitches! I've spent some time in middle school classrooms, they can be brutal! I don't even like visiting my mom at work anymore, those middle schoolers scare the heck out of me.

I'm totally promoting my own field here, but as an extremely happy former HS teacher turned CC instructor, I can't resist: Do you have any interest in becoming a reading specialist?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the advice Haven! I am not interested in becoming a reading specialist, but a good friend of mine is interested so I'll let her know. :D

As for middle school teachers, we have to be a bit crazy to deal with the kids, but its fun. :D Not much difference between middle schoolers and kindergarteners, just larger bladders. :lol:
 
My husband just took an online MA class and didn't like it at all! He could never get ahold of the instructor and it turned out the guy wasn't in FT and the lecture videos were from a few years back. This is with a big university and the 3-credit class was a whopping $2,600! He said he won't take any more online classes.

Have you looked at Coursera just for fun? You can take an online class for free in many different subjects and it'll give you an idea of what taking online classes is like. I signed up for one that is starting Jan 28th just to dust the cobwebs out of my head from being a SAHM for so long! ;))
 
Unfortunately, my gut tells me that most academic institutions would not value an online degree at all. I know my institution would not. When we hire sessional instructors, which is the type of position you describe, we actually require a PhD. Some departments would allow and MA (or they did in the past, but its changing fast), but not my department. And I know we would not consider a degree from an online university.

I am in Canada, and here you need a PhD from a major university to teach at the college level now! But we do not have many community colleges and they may operate differently.
 
Oh, and also you would need an MA or PhD in the subject you plan to teach. So an MA in leadership would only make sense if you want to teach courses on leadership. If you want to teach English or Math or Psychology or any other subject you need an MA/PhD in that subject.
 
I am not in education but in the library field and hold an MLIS. I considered online programs since I did not want to move, but what ultimately made the most sense for me was commuting 90 minutes each way to get my degree from a university. I knew that I would get a lot out of being in class, having classmates with different work experience than my own, meeting professors and real people working in the field, and making connections outside of my immediate region. I had also heard two hiring supervisors within my organization say that they did not consider online degrees to be anywhere near an in-person degree.

For some people, I know online is the only option, but I would be very careful to make sure you are hireable with it and, almost more importantly (in case you decide not to continue after a semester or two), compare credit costs. My DH is considering getting a counseling master's degree and the online schools are literally double or MORE the cost per credit of the university we live near. We are talking $600-$1000 per credit not including fees, vs. $370 per credit, all fees included. For a 60 credit degree regardless of online vs. in-person, that's a huge difference.
 
I have been working on a Master in the Art of Teaching degree from Marygrove college. (marygrove.edu)

Great program! I have stopped for now, as I am looking into pursuing a master's in school counseling, but I have enjoyed the program so far. It is a 7 trimester program, with the option to sit out semesters if needed. Look into it, it's great!
 
There are certain degrees, such as counseling, I cannot imagine getting online. So much of the learning is done in small groups, giving presentations, etc. For careers that have less human interaction I think it is fine.
 
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